The Story of Soul Mates
by Vampwizard
Summary: KESSI love! This is my continuation of Season 4. Need some reviews for action ideas, but I got the fluff : Explores Kessi!
1. Chapter 1

"I'm your brother."

Kyle stared in astonishment at his supposed newfound relative. He couldn't believe what Cassidy just

said. Could Grace Kingsley really be his mother? He went through all the possibilities in his head, but

there wasn't any way to prove Cassidy wrong. Maybe he was related to a guiltless killer, maybe he was related to Jessi's mom's killer…With that thought, Kyle felt a strong feeling overwhelm him, a feeling that he wasn't all that familiar with; hate. His grip upon Cassidy's neck tightened, much to Cassidy's surprise, and it seemed as though he would follow through the dreadful deed and kill his own brother. The simple thought of becoming a reminder of pain to Jessi simply put him over the top. He had always been her only escape, and now, even that would be taken from him. Wasn't it enough to have to lose Amanda?

As his hand continued to tighten, Kyle became vaguely aware of Amanda and Jessi's presence. They had tied Nate to his bedpost and had returned for Kyle's advice on what to do with him, but instead had found Kyle in the middle of choking Cassidy. Amanda immediately freaked out, but Jessi simply stood in the entrance of the kitchen for a moment and watched. She watched as, for some reason, Kyle seemed to become angrier. She wondered if Cassidy had just told him what she herself had just discovered in Nate's files. Perhaps Kyle now knew his true lineage, but why would he then _want_ to kill his own brother?

"Kyle stop! You can't do this!" Amanda cried in a shrill, and annoyingly innocent voice. Though, Kyle didn't even seem to recognize her presence. If anything, his grip tightened- if that was even possible. Cassidy slowly began to lose consciousness, his flailing arms beginning to stop an attempt at freedom. Kyle's eyes darkened, he was unrecognizable. Nicole was right, he really had changed- and for the worse.

Jessi watched with conflicting feelings as Kyle avenged her mother. This was exactly what she had wanted to do herself- _dreamed_ of doing herself. And yet, she felt guilt. Why did she not want Cassidy's death more than anything? Jessi realized in the moment that she saw Kyle's face darken, and become so corrupt, that what she wanted more than Cassidy's death was Kyle. And the only way to attain Kyle, was to make sure that he never changed. If Kyle remained the same man she fell in love with, then she would never lose him and he would never lose himself. She knew with all her heart, that the Kyle she wanted would never think of killing anyone. That's why Jessi had to forgive Cassidy, and hope that one day something might make him feel remorse, because that is what bothered her the most about what had happened to Sarah; that Cassidy had felt no guilt, no remorse for his crime, and killing him wouldn't make his remorse happen faster. For these reasons, Jessi quietly said,

"Let him go, Kyle, please." Kyle did immediately as he was told. Amanda gasped quietly at the tangible bond that Kyle and Jessi shared, a bond that she had insisted on ignoring, but it was impossible to miss when he asked for no explanation of Jessi. He simply… obeyed. It was as if their minds were connected as all Kyle needed was her verbal assent to know for sure.

As if in a daze, Kyle's eyes slowly began to truly acknowledge their presence. It was as if Kyle had been in a nightmare and the only thing that could get him to wake up was the voice of someone he knew to be real and solid; Jessi. With her face in his mind's eye, he found the strength to let go of the miserable scum that dared to call himself his brother. There was no way that Michael Cassidy could ever act like a brother to Kyle, and Kyle knew it. He had no other brother except for Josh. Shared DNA or not.

Kyle stumbled to the floor, right next to the unconscious body of Cassidy. Amanda stood in shock and Jessi slowly made her way to Kyle. She crouched and felt Kyle's forehead, it was hot with fever. Recalling her own sickness to an emotional trigger, Jessi quickly sat down next to him and gently caressed his check in an effort to console him. Telling him all will be alright if he stayed with her. She spoke of nothing and everything as they lay on the floor. She didn't think about Cassidy's still form or of Amanda's stressed pacing, waiting for the Tragers to respond to her texts, begging them to come home. Instead, Jessi looked into Kyle's estranged eyes, stroked his cheek and spoke to him about anything she could think of, trying to keep him responsive, trying to bring him back from the dark place he was.

"I remember when I first saw you. You were running. I had felt so lost and confused, when all of a sudden I felt…. comforted. I felt as if someone had finally found me and would help me. I thought that… I don't know… I guess I thought I had found my mate. My friend. When you told me about the difference between love and friendship, I remembered how I felt that day. I remember feeling the way you described when you first saw Amanda."

At this, Jessi paused. She was on the verge of tears, not because of her confession but because of Kyle's still despondent state, his temperature slightly rising. Had she really lost him even without him killing Cassidy? She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the Kyle that she had created, had created by loving him. A silent tear escaped her eyes. She sent her first silent prayer to the God that Stephen and Nicole said didn't exist, but right now she had no other option, did she? Even if he didn't exist, it felt nice to unload. It felt nice to hope for something. _Please, please help him. If anyone deserves to live it's Kyle. Please keep him with me. _

"I love you, Kyle. Please. Please, God, let me keep him. I need him."

As another tear rolled off her cheek, she felt a familiar stroke against her cheek. Her eyes immediately opened. Her face broke into a smile as she saw Kyle's face, his real face, the one with the familiar look of compassion in his eyes, soft smile, and worried creases in the forehead. Jessi laughed with relief and joy as she lunged at him, encompassing in the largest hug either had ever had in their brief lifetime. Amanda walked into the room, alerted by the inappropriate sound of joy in a time like this.

"Why are you laughing, Jessi? Kyle almost just killed someone!"

"Because," Jessi gasped between her joyous laughter, "he didn't, and because," chuckle, "he's still Kyle."

"So…. You're alright, Kyle?" she asked with much more compassion and patience than she had shown Jessi only seconds before.

"I… I will be. I'm sorry that you had to see that. I just found… something out. Which reminds me; I think I should tell you everything now. That is… if the other person this secret concerns is okay with that. Jessi? Do you mind if Amanda knows the truth about where we come from?"

Jessi's smile faded slightly. What if Amanda didn't run away screaming? She had proven after tonight's events that she is stronger than she appears to be. And then Jessi realized that if she _didn't _run away screaming then she would know for sure. Kyle would have to decide for himself whom he really loved. Jessi looked into his blue eyes, savoring the last moment of sharing this secret with him. She had always felt somewhat of a partner in crime when Amanda was left out of the loop, but it appeared to be for the best so she nodded her approval.

Cassidy was tied to a kitchen chair, still unconscious as Kyle explained his and Jessi's origins to Amanda. He also told her about the "electric kiss" between him and Jessi was to help her. Amanda listened with disquieting patience and calm. Jessi and Kyle were both thrown off by her very platonic reaction. When he finally finished Kyle asked her what she thought. Amanda looked at him for a moment and then said,

"I always knew it would be something weird. Of course , I never imagined _this_, but I'm strangely… glad to know that this is why you and Jessi were so inseparable. Someone had led me to believe it was for different reasons…" At this, Amanda gave Jessi a pointed glare. Jessi scoffed.

"So…. You're okay with it? With my birth, I mean."

"I guess. Why wouldn't I be? It's… different, but you're still human. So… maybe it's not _that _weird?"

Kyle looked at her in astonishment. All this time he had thought Amanda would be disgusted but instead she was… normal. Maybe he could still be with her. But then he thought of Jessi. He… really cared for her. But he really cared for Amanda, too. Great. At this moment, the rest of the Tragers ran into the house with worried expressions.

"Kyle? Jessi? What happened here?" Nicole exclaimed looking at her damaged home and an unconscious Michael Cassidy tied to a kitchen chair. Kyle sighed, "It's a really long story."

"Okay, we can see that you need rest. How 'bout we make some Chamomile tea and wait for you to regain some energy? Then you tell us."

The Trager family plus Amanda and the not-so-part-of-the-family Jessi gathered around the table, and if Cassidy weren't sitting with his body tied to a chair, one would think it was just a regular old gathering. But Cassidy was tied to the chair, which made this a very not-normal-gathering. It became even more abnormal when the subject of conversation began with Lori saying, "So, did you finally kill the jackass?"

"Almost," Kyle replied with guilt in his eyes. Jessi was sitting to his right and Amanda to his left, and upon seeing the look in his eyes they both reached out for his hand at exactly the same time. They then both withdrew it in the same manner with awkward and annoyed glances. Kyle blushed and hoped nobody noticed, but of course everyone did. Thankfully, not even Josh said anything.

Instead Josh asked, "So…. what _did _happen?"

Jessi, Amanda, and Kyle all share a look of apprehension. And then Kyle takes a deep breath and says, "I found out that I…um… I'm… I found out who my Mother is." He just couldn't bear to share the rest of the news, yet. It simply wouldn't leave his mouth. Besides, how would Jessi react when she found out? He still hadn't been able to ask her why she didn't want him to kill Cassidy, but he didn't simply because she said so. Why?

There was a chorus of, "What?" around the kitchen. Even Amanda, who hadn't read what Jessi had in Nate's room, gave a gasp. But Kyle only had eyes for Nicole. He wanted to see her reaction. At first she simply appeared shocked, but then that fleeting look of despair crossed her face. The same one she wore when the Petersons first came for Kyle. Though, she quickly hid it with an uncertain smile.

"So?" she asked with difficulty.

"So… it turns out that she works for Latnok, and… um..," Kyle glanced and Jessi and then brought his eyes to the table as he said in a rush, "and her name is Grace Kingsley. She is also the mother of Cassidy. Cassidy is my brother. Or, half-brother, I think."

There was no gasp this time, just stunned silence. But Kyle didn't care about the family's reactions. He just cared about Jessi's explosion. It didn't come. He waited a moment longer but she simply continued to sit next to him with no tension in her shoulders whatsoever. It was so un-Jessilike that it finally dawned on Kyle. He turned to her suddenly.

"You knew. Didn't you? That's why you didn't let me kill him. That's why you were being cautious. Jessi, I'm so sorry. I should've realized that you needed me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm related to him. I'm sorry that…"

"Stop it." Jessi's voice held the force of one with authority. It immediately silenced Kyle, her dear; sweet; Kyle that was of course apologizing for his who his brother was.

"You don't need to apologize to me. You can't be blame for what he… did to Sarah. It doesn't change anything Kyle. It's not like you're defending him. You were going to kill him. For me, right? You _don't _ need to be apologizing."

"Wait a minute," exclaimed a frustrated Josh. "What the hell is he talking about? What happened to Sarah? And this whole "brother" thing is seriously freaking me out, so if we could slow the topic of conversation I would be really thankful!" He finished with a roll of his eyes and exaggerated hand gestures.

"Well, Cassidy killed my Mother. Kyle and I just found out a few days ago and I didn't want to say anything because I wasn't ready, but I guess there's no point in keeping it a secret."

"Oh, Jessi, I'm so sorry. Are… are you okay?" Nicole asked with a sympathetic voice.

"I'll be fine." Of course, Jessi used a nonchalant shrug to hide her true feelings. Kyle, with care to appear only friendly, patted her hand. If anything, the platonic action merely annoyed Jessi and she retracted it. Amanda gave a satisfied smile.

Suddenly, a groan came from the other side of the room. Cassidy had finally come to. Kyle's must have been especially hard because he had been unconscious for nearly forty-five minutes now. He seemed to be disoriented at first but when he finally got used to his surrounding, he had only eyes for Kyle.

"Thanks for not killing me, man. I know it was justified." He glanced at Jessi and for a moment he had a look of regret. Kyle glared at him. Why would he dare to act like a good guy, now? Pretend to care? Kyle got up from his seat an walked up to his sibling. He looked him up and down. Looking for similarities between them, and he had to admit that they shared the same shoulders. The same forehead and chin. Even the same worry lines on that broad forehead. Now that he knew, the similarities were undeniable.

"You don't care about what you did. You _wanted _to kill her. You want to get your way. You forget the threats you dealt before I had you pinned to the wall. I've lost any trace of trust I had for you the moment you threatened my family. So, don't try to reconcile. It won't be possible."

"But I know things. More things. About you. About Jessi. About Mum. I have information that you _need. _And… it would be nice to have a little brother. Even if he is Mum's favorite."

"I am _not _you brother. The only brother I have is sitting at that table." (pointing to Josh who smiled with exaggerated charm)

"Don't deny the truth Kyle. Just like you share a bond with Jessi, we have something that brings us together, too."

"I don't have a bond with Jessi because she's my sister, because she's not. I share a bond with her because she's my _friend_. And you don't know what a friend is, do you? You only know about lies and deceit. And I'm tired of it. So, I'm going to call Foss and tell him to send you to some stranded island or something."

"Ah, so you don't want to kill me? Do you think perhaps that is because we _do _share a bond?"

"No, it's because I'm not a killer, and the only reason I would kill told me not to. That's why you're still alive and that's why I won't tell Foss to do it. Though, he might do it anyway… then it's out of my hands" Kyle knew he would never allow that but he felt that Cassidy deserved the threat. What, after all the ones he dealt out? He certainly deserved a few more.

"Don't you care to find out the whole truth? Like _why_ Adam combined his DNA with my Mum's? Or why Sarah did with Brian? Why wouldn't Sarah and Adam do it, if they were so in love? Don't you want to know if there's a _reason_ you and Jessi aren't blood-related?"

Did he mean what Kyle thought he meant? Did Latnok _want _him to fall in love with Jessi? Does that mean he _shouldn't?_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_There comes a time when people are forced to address their position and relationships in life. Some are strong and last forever. Others only appear to be so. And still, there are others that are so tangible, unbreakable, that no one could bear to see them apart. _

The Tragers, Amanda, and Jessi all stood around Cassidy with the same curious albeit cautious expressions. After Kyle called Foss to meet them at the house, he stood in front of Cassidy and demanded to know any information that Kyle and Jessi had not yet discovered about themselves.

"I won't tell you anything until you give me some of the wonderful tea, and talk to me like a human being."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were we treating you too much like the murderer you are?" Jessi sarcastically stated while glaring at Michael.

"Okay, then…"

Foss came rushing into the door. He glared at Cassidy and then said, "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"We were a little busy. Sorry, but you're here now. So, let's see if he's worth listening to."

"He doesn't having anything to say that I don't know myself. He's useless to us."

"Oh, really, mate? You so sure about that? Do you know about why Sarah and Adam didn't stick it out to the end?" Foss merely responded with a grunt.

"Is it really that important?", Kyle asked.

"It is if you're you. Sarah and Adam were… perfect for each other. Adam was calm, kind, and compassionate. He loved more than anyone." Cassidy looked directly at Kyle when he described Adam.

"Whereas Sarah…" his eyes moved to Jessi, "she was volatile, unpredictable, aggressive… and unloved. She had no family, just like Adam, but at least Adam had true friends. Sarah… she only had him."

"That can't be true! My Mother was a good person."

"It is. You know Sarah wasn't the most sociable person. For her, competition was more important than personal relationships, except when it came to Adam. Adam was always her exception. She was enjoyable to be with when he was around, or at least, that's what Mum says. I was too young to notice beyond the fact that they were always together, and then suddenly they weren't. "

"Are you getting to the point soon, because this is sounding more like a story than a reason for you to stay alive." Kyle's threat was shocking coming out of his mouth but everyone was thinking the same thing. Not that they weren't interested, simply that they didn't want to hear this from the source of all their problems.

"Patience is a virtue, you know. Anyways, my point is that Sarah was the one that broke them. Everybody told Adam she was wrong for him, but he ignored them. It was Sarah that couldn't take their ridicule and she… left."

"What does this have to do with Jessi and I not being siblings?"

"Well, their break up is the reason you're not. Not that _Latnok _particularly cares, but I knew you would. So, there it is, the history of your parents. Is it worth my freedom?"

"I don't think we're as sentimental as you think we are. Tell us something of value," responded Jessi with Kyle nodding his affirmation.

"Hm, shocking. You two have finally put aside your emotional priorities… which means that you have a new base…. Hm. I wonder." Cassidy looked at the two of them in a new light. He had always known Jessi had a thing for Kyle, but Kyle had always seemed so entirely devoted to Amanda. If they weren't using their parents as their sort of "security blanket" on their humanity, then they had found a new one. Was it possible that it was each other?

Josh grew impatient, "Well? Do you have something or not?"

"Yes. All I know is that… something's coming. Kyle, you're going to have to choose. What's more important to you, family or _her_?" Cassidy motioned to the right corner of the kitchen, an area that just happened to be occupied by Jessi _and_ Amanda.

"What's coming?"

"Sorry can't say. Good-bye, now, brother. Mum calls!"

And at that moment, a large group of black-clad men rushed into the kitchen, releasing a fume and then….. black.

Black.

Just darkness.

**Authors Note: **Hey! I'm a new writer to Kyle XY fanfiction and I really hope you like my writing! I do want a plot though I am much better at fluff... so if anybody as plot suggestions please message or review them! I LOVE reviews. Criticize or praise, either way I'm thankful. I LOVE Kyle XY and am a huge Kessi fan! And don't worry fluff will be coming soon and THAT is where my talent truly lies!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! I just LOVE Kyle XY and wish they didn't cancel it when it hit its peak but at least we can write! Now, I want to write this story but I need more ideas regarding the action portion of it... So please, please REVIEW! Please, I am begging! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Kyle XY. :(  
><strong>

**Chapter Three**

Kyle's eyes opened slowly. A sharp pain went shot through his head. What happened? As he slowly remembered the recent events, he shot up from his fetal position, looking for Cassidy. It was hten that he realized he had been lying on the kitchen floor along with the Tragers, Jessi, and Amanda. He was still the only one conscious. The gas… Cassidy… he was gone.

They came for him? If Cassidy knew they were coming, why did he warn Kyle about the future? Why did he tell him that he would have to choose? Choose between what? Family and Jessi or family and Amanda? Or maybe Cassidy was simply trying to freak him out. If that's so, task accomplished.

Kyle moved around the room, checking for pulses. He thanked God that everyone seemed to be unharmed. When he got to Jessi he noticed her hair had landed in front of her eyes. He leaned down to remove it when he noticed a small scar on the back of her wrist. He could tell it was recent, but he'd have to ask her about it later.

As he grazed her face, Jessi's eyes slowly opened.

"Hi," she said with a broad smile on her face. Obviously not fully coherent.

"Hi. Are you okay?"

"Um… yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Jessi, we were knocked out by some gas. Don't you remember?" Confusion passed through Jessi's face and then recognition.

"Oh, yeah. Where's Cassidy?"

"He got away. I'm… sorry."

She sighed. "I guess it's for the best. I wouldn't want to have been responsible for your brother's death anyway."

Kyle knew she was joking but he couldn't help but respond, saying, "He's not my brother, and I wouldn't have blamed you. I could never blame you for anything."

At this Jessi looked into his eyes and saw that he meant what he said. Could that mean that he had… chosen her? Or did he mean this in a platonic, friend sort of way? She moved closer to him, sitting up and leaning on her arms. She was right in front of him. Her lips only inches away. Maybe the answer to her question could be found on those blessed lips.

And, of course, right as she was about close the distance between them, they heard a shuffling noise. Josh and Amanda had both woken up. Kyle moved away from Jessi quickly, too quickly. He moved away from her with a look of guilt on his face, a look that cut Jessi to the core. Her annoyance and anger surfaced quickly.

"Are you guys, okay? Jessi and I woke up a few minutes ago. We were probably a little more resistant to the gas but not enough to stay awake. I'm sure we could've overpowered it if we hadn't been caught by surprise."

"I don't know about Amanda, but I know that I just got some awesome sleep. Do you think he'll be back, though? Because if he is, I probably won't sleep that well ever again…"

"I don't know." Kyle carried a look of sheer hopelessness. Amanda walked over to him and slipped her hand in his, trying to show comfort that a lover shows. Kyle looked at her and then down at his feet. He mumbled something about having to tie his shoes and quickly released his hand from her grasp in order to do so even though both his shoes were obviously tied. Amanda gave him a surprised look.

She had never thought he would react that way to her touch. He had always loved holding her hand, kissing her. She looked at Jessi in annoyance only to see Jessi looking at her in what must have been the same look of annoyance.

Lori, Nicole, Foss and Stephen woke a few minutes later. Finding everyone else beginning to clean the kitchen.

"Finally, you're up! Now you lazy butts can actually pick up a broom and help!" Josh looked at them as if he had caught them sleeping through a shift instead of knocked out by an unknown gas.

"How are you guys feeling?" Kyle's eyes betrayed the worry he was trying to hide.

"Oh, you know, good." Lori's voice held her deep sarcasm.

"We're fine, Kyle. What happened?" Nicole didn't hide her fear.

"We were knocked out and Cassidy left. Other than that, nothing."

"Why did he warn us if he knew they were on their way, then?"

Josh rolled his eyes, "Come on you guys. He was just trying to freak us out. Let's just pretend this never happened. We should beat him at his own game."

Everyone stood in a moment of contemplative silence. Maybe Josh was right.

"Don't worry about it. I'll keep on eye the house. Josh is right. Just live your normal lives and if anything happens, then it happens. Kyle and Jessi have already proven themselves to be stronger than they look."

Foss looked sincere, and his words rung with his characteristic fierceness. Kyle looked at him gratefully. looked at the man that had saved his life more than once. He was like what Amanda calls a guardian angel, someone that looks over you and guides your footsteps. Kyle cuoldn't have lived this life without him.

"Thank you. Maybe Jessi and I should start training again, too. It came too close this time. If Cassidy hadn't threatened me… I don't know if I could have overpowered him if he still had the Taser."

"Sounds good. Rest for a few days and then we can start practicing. Same time, same place."

"Okay."

"I have to go then. Believe it or not, I'm still tired." And Kyle saw Foss give his first half-smile.

"Why don't you stay here, Tom? After everything you've done for us, that's the least we can do." Nicole asked.

"No,no, thank you, but I can't. I'm okay. Thanks. Good night." With that, he walked out the door.

"He was in a hurry," said Lori with eyes big.

"He's probably just going to see if he can catch them," responded Kyle with a sigh. "He's a really good guy."

"He is," replied Stephen. "Now let's finish picking up this glass and then… well, let's just see."

After the mess was picked up Amanda looked at her phone and said, "Oh my gosh! It's so late! My Mom is going to freak out! Sorry, but I have to get home, it's pumpkin hour!" **( A/N: I know, "pumpkin hour" is totally lame, but she actually says it in the show so I thought it was characteristic of her. …. And I wanted to mock her. ** )

"Here, I'll walk you home. Just as a precaution, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to walk alone at this time," said Kyle with genuine concern.

"Okay, thanks." And with that they left, leaving Jessi with a lethal grip on the broom. She walked quickly toward the window, unabashedly watching Kyle and Amanda as they walked slowly to her house. She even increased her hearing in order to hear their conversation. Jessi ignored the warning looks of the Tragers and simply focused on Kyle.

"So… wow." She heard Amanda say with a slight smile in Kyle's direction.

"Thank you for understanding. I was afraid you wouldn't want anything to do with me after I told you. That was probably one of the reason I avoided it for so long. I'm sorry."

At this point Amanda stopped walking and caught Kyle's arm. "There's no need for you to be sorry. And… I want you to know that I want you back, Kyle."

Jessi's stomach fell to her knees. Amanda had warned her but she had no idea it would be so soon. She thought she had just a few more days with a Kyle that could have belonged to her. She thought she had time! She turned away from the window, closing off their conversation from her ears. She ran through the kitchen, passing the bewildered Tragers with tears in her eyes and locked herself in her room. Jessi lay on her bed and quietly said good-bye to the man she could never stop loving but never loved her.

Kyle looked at Amanda in slight shock, but in truth he wasn't entirely surprised. Amanda had been acting a little more attentive tonight. And with the whole Jessi-lasagna thing he knew it was only a matter of time. His heart and stomach both gave flutters of delight as he looked into Amanda's eyes, but then he thought of Jessi. He thought of their almost-kiss that night. When he looked at her, he was always so confused .

His body reacted differently to Jessi. Instead of feeling delightful butterflies, he felt terrifying and thrilling electricity. It was mental, too. In his mind, Amanda was an angel that could guide him whereas Jessi was a lost friend that he needed in order to find his way, because they were both going to the same place but couldn't arrive without the other.

Kyle looked at Amanda's eager eyes. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"I care about you, Amanda. I love you. I always will, but I can't be with you right now. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"What do you mean because you were born in a pod? I don't care about that!"

"No, I know. I meant that it wouldn't be fair to you because even though I love you, I have… feeling s-"

"For Jessi." Tears erupted into Amanda's eyes. "Well, let me know when you decide. I love you and I just… I don't want to see you make a mistake."

"Um, okay. " There was an awkward silence and then Amanda turned and walked the last few steps to her door.

Kyle also made his way toward his house, but couldn't help but feel a kind of anger toward Amanda's words. He had never felt anger toward her before, but when she insinuated that Jessi was a mistake… he couldn't help but feel slight anger toward the girl he loved… wait, loves. Right?

When Kyle came back into the house he was greeted by warning looks from Nicole, Stephen, and Lori and then an amused look from Josh.

"What?" asked Kyle with his usual cluelessness.

"Kyle, I think you should go check on Jessi." Nicole's voice held sympathy and… caution?

Kyle gave left them with a confused glance and then preceded to Jessi's room. He could hear that her

heart beat was slightly erratic and she was gasping through tears. His jaw tightened. He hated seeing

her upset. He walked into her room and found her with her back towards the door.

"Leave. I don't want to talk."

"Jessi, are you mad that Cassidy got away?" Jessi's tear-stained face met his in confusion.

"Cassidy? This isn't about Cassidy. I don't care about him anymore… not right now anyway. I've decided

to try to ignore his existence."

Kyle sat on the edge of her bed. He put his hand on top of hers, offering comfort but Jessi pulled hers away.

"Be careful, Amanda might walk in." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm and a new burst of tears escaped her eyes. Kyle sighed.

"So it's about Amanda. Are you mad because I walked her home?"

"No. Yes." Jessi looked at the floor.

"Jessi, I'm trying to be fair. I can't be with either of you anyway, so why does it matter? Nicole won't allow us to be together and I can't jeopardize my friendship with Amanda, not now anyway."

"See? _That's _what I mean. You're thinking about right now whereas I'm thinking about today and all the days after. I'm thinking of my future, finally, for the first time, and mine depends on you. My future lays in your choice, and I want to know now. I want to know of it's worth hoping."

"Jessi…."

Kyle's face looked so passionate, so sympathetic, so handsome and so… so… _confused_ that Jessi couldn't take it anymore. She sprinted out of bed and out the front door in a matter of seconds. Leaving a befuddled Kyle and gaping Tragers. She was leaving and had no intention of ever turning back.


End file.
